Mail-bag deliverer.



S. B. GOLBBRT. MAIL BAG DELIVERER.

APPLICATION FILED OOT. 17,1906.

Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

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Patented Ndv.9,1909.'

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MAIL BAG DELIVERER. APPLICATION FILED OUT. 11,1908- Patentd Nov. 9,1909.

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(lttomu UNITED- STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SOLON B. COLBERT, OF PIERCE CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIG-NOR OF ONE-HALF TOSANDFORD J. DOUTHITT, OF PIERCE CITY, MISSOURI.

MAIL-BAG DELIVERER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SoLoN B. CoLBERr, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pierce City, in the county of Lawrence and State ofMissouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mail-BagDeliverers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mail bag deliverers and one of the principalobjects of the same is to provide efficient means for discharging a mailbag from a mail car into a receiver which can be raised for discharginginto a mail wagon for delivering the bags to a post ofiice.

Another object of the invention is to provide a delivering device forlocation upon the mail car, said delivering device being provided with areceptacle mounted upon rollers and adapted to be projected suddenly bysprings to throw a mail bag into the receptacle at the side of thetrack.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mail bag deliverer whichwill throw a bag out of a car by the action of springs and which isprovided with a trigger for holding the springs retracted and a footlever for releasing said trigger.

The objects and advantages above referred to may be attained by means ofthe construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating amail bag cleliverer made inaccordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the mailbag receiver. Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the mail bag deiiverer designed to be located upon the mail car. Fig. 4: is a side elevation ofthe same. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 3.Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the deliverer. Fig. 7 is avertical sectional view taken on the line 77 of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a rearend elevation of the delivering mechanism, the operating lever beingomitted. Fig. 9 is a transverse vertical section of the mail bagreceiver.

Referring to the drawings, the numerals 1 designate a pair of posts oruprights provided with a cross bar 2 at their upper ends and a cross bar3 intermediate the ends. The posts 1 are driven into the ground at somedistance from the side of the track. Connected to the cross bar 2 arethe oppositely disposed curved braces f, the upper ends of said bracesbeing connected to the cross bar 2, while their lower ends are providedwith T-couplings 5 through which eX- tends a horizontal bar or pipe 6.The bar or pipe 6 is supported at its ends by means of suitable legs 7firmly secured at their lower ends to suitable blocks or wooden bossesdriven into the ground.

Pivotally mounted upon the bar 6 are the fittings 8 provided withsuitable set screws 9 for holding the fittings rigidly to the bar 6whenever required, said fittings, however, being normally designed toswing freely upon the bar 6. Connected to the fittings 8 are thesupporting rods or pipes 10, the lower ends of which are connected to T-couplings 11 which carry suitable legs or supports 12, said legs 12having feet 13 designed to rest upon the ground. Braces 14 extend fromthe legs 12 to the supporting pipes 10, while braces 15 are secured tothe legs 12 at their lower ends, and their upper ends are connected to across bar or pipe 16 attached at its ends to the T-couplings 11.

Supported upon the rods or pipes 6 and 16 is the mail bag receivercomprising a frame made up of angle irons 17 to which is secured areticulated or wire cloth receiver 18. This receiver is suspended bymeans of rings 19 upon the pipe or rod 6, said rings being connected toeye-bolts 20 which extend through the bars 17 at the top of thereceiver, said eye-bolts being provided with springs 21 underneath saidbars and fitted with a nut 22 to hold the spring 21 in place, as shownmore particularly in Fig. 9. By this means the receiver is yieldinglysupported. It is to be noted that the rear portion of the receiverextends upward somewhat above the front edge thereof, and said frontedge is also provided with a similar supporting means connected to thecross rod or pipe 16.

Supported upon the cross bar 3 is a winding drum or Windlass 23 providedwith a ratchet wheel 24 and a pawl 25 to engage the same. A rope orcable 26 is secured at one end to the Windlass 23, and the opposite endthereof is provided with a hook-27 adapted to engage the cross bar 16.By turning the crank 28 of thewindlass the receiver 18, together withthe rod 16 and the legs 12,1s raised to a position near the top of thepost 1 for discharging its contents into a mail wagon which may bedriven between the post 1 and the legs 7. It will be obvious that thismail bag receiver may be stationary when used in small towns and citiesnot receiving sufficient mail to be carried from the mail car to thepost office by a mail wagon. The mail bag receiver 18 will descend tothe normal position shown in Fig. 1 by gravity, when the pawl 25 isreleased from the ratchet wheel 24.

The mail bag deliverer is designed to be placed in the doorway 29 of themail car in position to throw a bag out into the receiver 18 while thecar is in motion. This mail bax deliverer comprises a frameworkconisting of the metal bar 30 resting upon suitable upright cornerbraces 31 and intermediate braces 32. Suitable diagonal braces 33 may beprovided for giving the required stability to the frame. The mail bagprojector 34 comprises a rectangular frame mounted upon rollers 35supported upon strap rails 36 secured near the bottom of the frame uponcross bars 37 The projector 34 is open at its front end, while at itsrear end a hook bar 38 is pivoted at 39, said hook bar extending throughan aperture 40 in the rear end 41 of the frame. A series of springs 42are connected to rings 43 secured to the projector 44, while theopposite ends of said springs bear against cross bars 45 supported atthe rear of the frame. Extending through the springs 42 are the bars 46,said bars extending through the cross bars 45 and provided upon theirends with stops 47 and buffer or recoil springs 48. pivoted at 50between extending angle iron bars 51, said lever carrying a loop orclevis 52 designed to engage the hooks of the bar 38. Said lever 49 isprovided with a removable hand lever 53 for operating the lever 49. Asliding plate 54 mounted inguides is normally held in its lowermostposition by means of springs 56, said sliding plate being adapted toengage any one of the hooks of the bar 38 and to thus hold the springs42 under tension. A trigger comprising a foot lever 57 pivoted at 58 andprovided with a foot rest 59 is pivotally connected at its rear end at60 to a bar 61, the upper end of which is connected to the sliding plate54. Upon reference to Fig. 3 it will be seen that there is a foot lever57 at each side of the frame, said levers extending inward at the rear,as at 57 and connected centrally to the bar 61.

The bottom of the projector 34 comprises a stationary plate 62 and twopivoted plates A lever 49 is 63, said plates 63 being pivoted upon thecross rods 64. The object of the pivoted plates 63 is to incline thebottom of the projector so that bags thrown therefrom may be thrown .ina slightly upwardly inclined direction to insure safe delivery of thebags. In order to hold the pivoted plates 63 at any desired inclinationcurved cam levers 65 are pivotally connected at 66 to supporting bars 67connected to the frame. For operating the curved cams 65 for raising andholding the plates 63 at any required inclination crank rods 68 arepivoted in the frame, said crank rods each having a projection '69 whichbears underneath the curved cam 65 for raising the same.

The operation of my invention may be briefly described as follows :Amail bag or bags may be placed in the projector, and the plate 63 may beinclined if found desirable. The hand lever 53 is drawn backward, andthe sliding plate 54 engages one of the hooks of the bar 38. As the cararrives at the station the foot lever 57 is operated to release thesliding plate 54 from the hook bar 38, the springs 42 then exertingtheir stress to throw the projector 34 toward the door opening in thecar and sliding the bags out into the receiver 18. The recoil springs 48serve to absorb the shock in operating the projector.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that a mail bag deliverer made inaccordance with my invention is strong, durable and efficient, can beinstalled upon any mail car and at any station at the side of the track,cannot readily get out of order and can be produced at comparatively lowprice.

I claim 1. A mail bag deliverer comprising a projector, springs securedto said projector, means for holding said springs in retractedcondition, means for releasing said holding means, plates pivoted withinthe bottom of said projector, and means for holding said plates ininclined position.

2. In a mail bag deliverer, a projector, a frame within which saidprojector is mounted, springs connected to said projector and frame, ahook bar connected to said projector and extending through said frame, alever for operating said hook bar, a sliding plate for engaging saidhook bar, and a foot lever for disengaging said sliding plate.

3. In a mail bag deliverer, a frame, a projector mounted to slide insaid frame, springs connected to said projector and frame, means forretracting said springs, recoil springs, 'a hook bar, means foractuating said bar, means for holding said bar in adj UStQd POSltIOII,and means for releasing said holding means.

4. A mail bag deliverer comprising a frame, a bar pivoted to said frame,a receiver consisting of a reticulated container I In testimony whereofI aflix my signature suspended from saidfbar at one edge of saild inpresence of two Witnesses.

receiver 13 means 0 rin s a ro e or cab e connected to the other edge ofsaid receiver, 1 SOLON COLBERT' a pulley on the frame over which saidcable Witnesses:

passes, and a Windlass for raising or swing l MIKE FLAHERTY,

ing said receiver around said bar. CHAS. W. RIDPATH.

